


Confidants but Never Friends

by niihilistix



Category: BnHA, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Assassin!Kaminari, Bartender!Shinsou, Burns, Dabi is a Todoroki, Non binary Kaminari, Other, alcohol mention, not quite slow-burn, probably like walking-pace-burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-06 01:24:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17336036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niihilistix/pseuds/niihilistix
Summary: Hitman/assassin Denki Kaminari ends up collapsing after a brutal encounter with a previous client. Hitoshi Shinsou, a bartender, finds and helps him after he insists on no hospital. Kaminari finds themself attracted to Shinsou’s bar, and visits at least once a month and coincidentally during Shinsou’s oh-so boring shift. Whatever shall they do now that they’ve been assigned to kill him?





	1. Bartenders Are Good People

Everything hurt. Every part of their body hurt so much. They couldn’t remember what they did to warrant such anger but now it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting somewhere, anywhere, to be safe. 

Soon, they came to a door, and found hope in the blue and purple lights they saw in through the frosted window. Kaminari allowed themself to fall to their knees and pass out. Bartenders are good people. They’ll help.

Sure enough, one did. Kaminari awoke to someone dabbing their leg wounds with an alcohol soaked cotton ball. They made an incomprehensible groaning sound.

“Ah, you’re awake. What’s your name, I’ll call a hospital.” The bartender said. They had intense bags under their eye and looked a little too dapper in that dress shirt and tie.

“No. No hospital.” Kaminari replied, voice hoarse. “Just slap a Band-Aid on it, I’ll be fine.”

“Damn, I knew you’d say that. Thought I had a chance now that you’re _awake_ awake.” They put their phone away, and continued treating Kaminari.

“They/them.”

“What, no name?”

“No name. Just pronouns.”

“He/him.” He smiled at them. 

Kaminari looked around. Their jacket was hung on the back of a bar stool, and their accessories were on the bar counter. Including their gun. Kaminari glances at the bartender suspiciously but paid no mind so long as the gun wasn’t going to be pointed at them. 

“What’s with all these burns? Caught in a fire or something?” He said, examining Kaminari’s forearm.

“Something like that.” They replied. 

Their previous employer went under the alias Dabi. He ordered a hit on his father, but knew it was impossible to pull off, he was just mad and had money to spent. Then, with the failed result, Dabi ordered Kaminari into a back alleyway and attacked. Kaminari signed a contract with a higher up that allows the client to abuse them as they see fit, once, if they fail to complete their task. Dabi happened to have a very powerful quirk.

Kaminari zoned back in and stood from where the bartender had sat them, upon noticing he had returned to behind the bar. They sat in the stool with their jacket and ordered a round. He reluctantly complied.

“You don’t have to pay me this time.” He said, “If you come back, come back healthy. That’s payment enough.”

Kaminari downed his drink. “Can do, bud. You want me back?”

“You seem like an interesting character.” He smiled again. A dazzling smile, quite fitting of a bartender. “That and no one seems to come in during my shift. It gets lonely.”

“Maybe you scare customers.”

“Maybe.”

Kaminari scoffed. Who the hell would be scared of that guy? He seems like a dog, a good dog. Loyal. Cute.

No, not cute. Just good looking.

Kaminari left, waving goodbye. Then their phone buzzed, the vibration pattern was from their boss.

**New target:**  
**Hitoshi Shinsou, 21**  
**Reason undisclosed. No deadline at the moment.**  
**Here’s a visual**

Kaminari looked at the picture, then back at the door to the bar. Picture, bar, picture, bar, picture. No fucking way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but it be like that sometimes. Here’s to hoping I hit 5k words /at least/, once this is finished


	2. Are Bartenders Good People?

Making sure they’d left, Shinsou pulled out his phone again. He dialed quickly.

“Monoma? It’s Shinsou.” He said. “Yeah, Denki Kaminari was here. They were beat up real bad, so I fixed them up. … ... Oh? That so? ... Interesting. I’ll take note for when they strike. Take care, Monoma. … What? No, I’m not calling you that. … No. …! No, Monoma. I’m hanging up.” True to his word, Shinsou hung up.

The phone rang again. Monoma.

“No. …!! Oh my God, alright!” Shinsou sighed. “Take care, Phantom Thief.” He said it in the most fakest and mocking voice he could. “Yeah, whatever.” The other line hung up this time.


	3. Cool, Cool, Cool, Cool, Cool. Tight, Tight, Tight, Tight, Tight.

Kaminari awoke to the sound of their alarm, which was a randomised pop-punk song. They don’t listen to the genre for fun, but finds it helpful to listen to in the morning because it makes them feel like a teenage protagonist in a Disney Channel Original movie. It’s fun and motivational!

They look at the date on their phone. It’s the 21st. A month ago today, they were found half dead out the back of a bar. A month ago today they were assigned a hit on the bartender that saved their life. However, they had no intentions of doing anything to kill him until they get a deadline or find out why someone wants him dead. Whichever comes first.

They still have to be doing their job though, so they’ve organised a meeting with their informant, Deku. They still don’t actually know if this Shinsou is that bartender, after all.

Per Deku’s request, they meet at a quaint little cafe on the main street of the district shopping complex. Kaminari looked around the cafe and it was… well, it was very Deku.

“What’s poppin’, Midoriya?” Kaminari said, pulling himself a chair from Deku’s table.

“Deku. We’re professionals, Kaminari.” Deku smiled, while looking intently at his laptop’s screen.

“How’s your brother these days?” They ask as a waiter comes by. They’re genuinely interested though. “Ah, a cake please. Sponge.” They wave the waiter away after Deku doesn’t reply.

“Kacchan’s doing great, actually. Kirishima proposed today.” He replied, turning his laptop around.

On the screen was Pro-Hero Red Riot on one knee in front of a Bakugo who looks like he’s about to explode, _him_ not his hands.

“Aw, he didn’t tell me?” Kaminari looked at his phone sadly.

“He will.” Deku reassures, turning the laptop back around. As if on cue, their phone buzzes. It’s Kirishima.

**BRO I DID IT I’M FREAKING OUT MAN HOLY S H I T**

“Noice.” They say, after a whistle. Their sponge cake arrives. “ _Noice._ ”

Deku chuckles again. “So, who d’ya want?”

“Hitoshi Shinsou.” They reply, mouth full of cake. They swallow. “21, looks like this. I emailed it to you just before, but you were too busy watching your brother, right?”

Deku doesn’t confirm, but does look guilty. He taps away on his keyboard. In that time Kaminari spies something that adds to this Deku aesthetic cafe even more. Todoroki. He comes over.

“Hey, love.” Todoroki says in the softest voice Kaminari’s ever heard. 

“Hi! Thanks.” Deku replies, eyes not moving from the screen, but smiling as he takes the coffee being handed to him with his free hand. Their matching wedding rings glint in the sunlight. Weird flex but ok.

“Hey Todoroki.” Kaminari says, finishing his sponge cake. “How’re the kids?”

“Hello. And they’re fine. Shisō discovered her quirk the other day.”

“Oh, for real? What is it?”

“She can set things on fire or freeze them over with her mind.”

“Her mind? Where does that come in?”

“Izuku’s mother.”

“Ah.” Deku clears his throat and glares at Kaminari. “Ah! Um, this is a work thing so uh…”

Todoroki nods and leaves but not before planting a kiss on Deku’s head. Kaminari never got hear how their dog is doing. They’ll ask later.

“Hitoshi Shinsou, 21. Likely clients, literally any criminal in the area due to his ties with Eraser-Head and Present Mic. Rumoured to be an underground crime king, including conspiring in vehicular manslaughter, B&E’s, theft and the occasional human trafficking. That’s listed from most likely to least likely.” Kaminari blinked, astounded. “I highly doubt such feats would be right under the pros’ noses though.”

“Manslaughter? Most likely? Damn.”

“Yep. That all you need?”

“Actually, I’d like to know what he does when he’s not being a conspirator of crime. Gotta be something neat, right?” Kaminari hopes that it’s not a bartender. Please don’t be a bartender. It’s painfully cliche and also means the guy they confided their occupational identity crisis in last week knows a weakness of theirs. Probably.

“Yeah, it’s super cliche though. Bartender at some place called ‘The Velvet Room’.” Fuck. Kaminari taps the table anxiously.

“Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. Tight, tight, tight, tight, tight.” They’re in a not-so-subtle rush to get out. “Tell Shisō I’m proud of her!” They call as they leave. They head straight for their apartment.

Looks like that Shinsou is the bartender. They hold onto hope in the form of the bartender’s name. Kaminari doesn’t know it, so that’s the deal make-or-breaker.


End file.
